College in New Rome
by Merida Dare
Summary: After the war with Gaea, Annabeth and Percy drive to San Francisco to start college in New Rome. Point of view alternates between Annabeth and Percy. Not a lot of conflict yet, but I'm working on it!
1. Chapter 1

I

**Percy**

Percy smelled food.

He could hear Annabeth moving around in the tiny kitchen of the apartment they shared in New York. Something sizzled, like eggs in a pan. He thought he might smell waffles.

The son of the sea god sat up and rubbed his eyes, the covers falling over the edge of the bed he shared with Annabeth. Of course his girlfriend had her own bed in her own room, but after the war with Gaea, Percy knew that Annabeth had been having nightmares. At night she would snuggle up with him and he would hold her close, pressing his face into her lemon-scented hair.

It was the last day of their senior year of high school, and Percy was getting excited about college in New Rome. He was going to be studying marine biology- of course- and naturally, Annabeth would become an architect. They would be able to see their friends all the time, but Percy was most looking forward to all the time he would be spending with Annabeth.

Stretching, Percy wandered into the kitchen and smiled at the stack of blue waffles on his plate.

"Morning, Wise Girl," he said, leaning over to give Annabeth a kiss.

She kissed him back. "Seaweed Brain," she replied, eyes sparkling. "Last day of school!"

Percy groaned. He had a reputation of getting his schools blown up on the last day. Though this year had not been uneventful- he and Annabeth had survived a hydra and been bombarded with free WalMart samples from the store's monster employees- nothing major had happened, and Percy felt like something was bound to come up. It was seventh grade all over again: he had gone an entire year with no trouble, only to wind up torching the gymnasium on the last day.

Annabeth seemed to understand his unease. Flipping the fried egg onto her plate, she walked over to the kitchen table and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"You can do this, Percy. Just think: after today, we'll be in New Rome."

Percy smiled, grateful for her support.

"Love you, Wise Girl," he said, digging into his waffles.

School was boring, but thankfully not dangerous. Most teachers allowed their students to relax on the last day before summer; some insisted on using every last minute to cram knowledge into the students' heads. Percy's history teacher, Mr. Watt, was like that. At least he didn't give any homework.

At the sound of the final bell, Percy relaxed. This was the end of his entire childhood schooling. All the years setting fire to gymnasiums and unleashing cannon balls on school buses, everything leading up to this was now finished. Percy was sure he wouldn't miss it.

He walked out to the parking lot to meet Annabeth, a wide grin stretching across his face as he wrapped her up in a huge hug.

"We did it," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

Annabeth beamed up at him. "I always knew we could. But I'd bet twenty drachma that _your_ report card won't show straight A's," she teased.

"Shut up, Wise Girl."

She laughed and got into the car. "San Francisco?"

"San Francisco," Percy agreed. "Here we come."

Together, they left their old life behind as Percy drove out of New York.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! I'm updating my story with chapter two now because it was already written, so don't expect me to update my stories this fast in the future! I don't like to be under pressure... So here's chapter two.

II

**Annabeth**

Annabeth was so proud of her Seaweed Brain, it was all she could do to keep from kissing him every five minutes. He was driving. She shouldn't distract him from the road.

Her heart felt more free than it had in years. Here she was, ready to start a new chapter of her life with Percy. She had nothing that she needed to get done. No one was expecting anything from her. She could be herself with Percy at her side. Annabeth didn't usually have good dreams, but this one was coming true.

She squeezed Percy's hand. He looked over and grinned at her. Annabeth studied his face: the troublemaker smirk, the sea-green eyes. She especially loved the eyes. Percy had been through so much: he had fought both Kronos and Gaea, he had seen so many of his friends die, he had survived _Tartarus-_ and though his eyes seemed to go on forever, they still looked as young and determined as they had the time she had first seen him when they were twelve.

Percy noticed her staring. "What's up?"

"I was just... thinking."

"Always thinking," Percy joked. "Anything in particular?"

_How much I love you_, Annabeth thought. "I was thinking about my Seaweed Brain. You haven't changed."

Percy looked back at the road, his expression somewhat pained. "No?"

Annabeth backpedaled. "I mean, I was thinking about the time I first saw you back at Camp Half-Blood. You've grown so much, but you're the same person. That's what I meant."

Percy snorted. "When you told me I drool in my sleep, yeah. I never forgot that comment." He turned to the side, raising an eyebrow. Annabeth's heart throbbed.

All of a sudden, Annabeth noticed that they were turning into a small parking lot.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Surprise," Percy answered, smiling. "I thought, before we go to Camp Jupiter, you and I could just see the city." He pointed out the windshield, and Annabeth caught her breath.

The light of the setting sun cast a glow over the bay. Across the water, the city of San Francisco sprawled up to the horizon. Annabeth saw the Golden Gate Bridge illuminated by the lights of the city as the night began to creep in. It wasn't Annabeth's first time seeing San Francisco, since her father had lived there, but seeing it with Percy made it seem incredibly magical.

She was speechless as Percy took her hand and helped her out of the car. He wrapped his arm around her as they walked up to the railing that overlooked the bay. Together, the two watched as the sun set and the moon rose over the water.

At long last, Annabeth turned to Percy, her eyes shining. "I love it," she whispered.

Percy grinned. "I thought you might." He kissed her like nobody was watching- there was no one around to see.

Finally pulling away from each other, the two reluctantly turned their backs on the picturesque view and began the final leg of their trip.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is unlike my usual style. I'm not sure I like it, but the story will improve...

* * *

><p>III<p>

**Annabeth**

As they drove over the famous bridge, Annabeth noticed at least three things that she would have done differently about the architecture, but it didn't matter. The whole thing was still stunning.

When they reached the secret entrance to Camp Jupiter, Annabeth recognized the two guards who were standing by the door. The car had barely come to a stop when Annabeth threw herself out and beamed at her friends.

"Hazel! Frank!"

Frank seemed to have grown even more since the war with Gaea. Hazel was as small as ever, though her curly hair and attitude made up for the lack of height. The two grinned widely and strode down to greet Annabeth and Percy.

Filled with joy at seeing her friends again, Annabeth was just asking how Camp Jupiter had been during the last few months when she began to feel like something was wrong. Just as she was about to suggest that they get inside, Annabeth heard an inhuman shriek.

"There's a monster," Frank warned. He pointed to the sky, where one winged demon lady was descending towards the four.

Hazel spun around. "Frank, that's a gorgon!"

"Deja vu," Percy muttered. He uncapped riptide. Annabeth drew her drakon-bone sword. After fighting Gaea, gorgons didn't seem like a big deal.

There was something strange about this one, however. As it came in closer, Annabeth saw that it was clutching a white flag.

"It's asking for a peaceful meeting," she realized. Percy looked so surprised it was almost comical, though Annabeth tried not to laugh in a dangerous situation.

"Land, and we will hear you," Hazel called up to the gorgon. It cackled and dove to the ground.

Annabeth lifted her sword, prepared for anything, but she was completely perplexed by what the gorgon said next.

"Gorgonzola!"

After uttering the single word, the creature lifted off and flew into the night.

The four stood in shocked silence for a few seconds before Percy doubled over in laughter.

"Gorgon... zola," he gasped, tears forming in his eyes. "Of all the things..."

After Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel got over their disbelief, they began to laugh too. Percy was hiccoughing by the time Hazel invited them inside the camp. Annabeth laced her fingers through his as they walked through the entrance, and Percy seemed to recover slightly.

Though Annabeth suspected that it was nothing, she definitely thought the gorgon encounter was odd. She had barely been bothered by monsters since the defeat of Gaea, save the disastrous WalMart trip. To have a monster so close to camp made her wonder what was really happening outside of her safe little world. But the gorgon hadn't tried to hurt them. It had only named a type of cheese.

Annabeth shook her head and tried to put the oddity behind her, which was easy, because just then she and Percy were home.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

**Percy**

Percy woke up in a room he knew well: his own cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. Just how he had gotten there was a mystery to him, because he was fairly certain that he had driven all day yesterday to get to Camp Jupiter. But it didn't matter, because when he turned, Annabeth was walking across the floor towards him. It was dark outside; Percy guessed that it was early morning. Then he noticed that Annabeth had tear tracks on her face.

Percy's smile faded. He guessed that Annabeth had been having a nightmare. Wordlessly he held out his arms, seeing the relief that spread across Annabeth's face as she continued to walk towards him.

Then the cabin floor began to shake. Annabeth whipped her head around, a panicked look on her face. Everything began to fade.

When things came back into focus, Percy was in a familiar room: his own cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. He felt the cold darkness of early morning. Then Percy turned and saw a girl he didn't recognize, walking across his floor towards him. Her curly blonde hair was ruffled as though she had come straight from bed, and Percy saw tears on her face.

Alarmed, Percy reached for Anaklusmos under his pillow and uncapped the pen. The girl's grey eyes widened when she saw his defensive position. Fresh tears stained her face. Then she did something that surprised Percy. Through her tears, she smiled.

"You've forgotten me. Goodbye, Percy..."

But then Percy woke up for real, and saw Annabeth next to him. He was relieved. Just a dream. He would never forget Annabeth.

Nonetheless, he was troubled by the dream. Demigod dreams weren't normal. Usually, they ended up connecting to something in real life.

Percy pushed himself out of bed and looked out at New Rome, his home away from home. He had a few days to get used to the city before classes would start, and he wanted to spend every single second with Annabeth. Maybe today they could try and find the best cafe.

Smiling now, Percy dressed himself in jeans and a blue shirt with a wave pattern. In fact, it was Piper who had gotten him the shirt, at Christmas. At the same time she'd given Annabeth a gray sweater with an owl on the front. Every crewmember of the Argo II had received some article of clothing from Piper, with a design that represented their heritage. Jason had a lightning bolt, Hazel had a diamond. Frank's turtleneck was bright red. Even Nico was presented with a new jacket, one that wasn't black. It was a warm, brownish-gold color, almost like the Golden Fleece.

Percy remembered feeling surprised that Nico had worn the fleece. Then again, ever since he had admitted that he had once liked Percy and started a relationship with Will Solace, the kid seemed much happier. Percy was glad. He had always felt tremendously guilty for everything Nico had gone through because a large part of it was Percy's fault. Percy didn't have any siblings, so he couldn't empathize, but he imagined that Nico losing Bianca would be similar to himself losing Annabeth. The pain was unimaginable.

Shaking the guilt from his shoulders for the moment, Percy turned as he heard Annabeth stir.

"Morning," he said, smiling at her. "Do you think they have Pop Tarts in New Rome?"

Annabeth laughed. "Sure, Seaweed Brain. Let's go and see."


	5. Chapter 5

I am SO sorry for not updating sooner. I really am. :(

V

**Annabeth**

Annabeth was finding it hard to be an architect. Her classes were interesting, and she was enjoying herself, but she was being pushed to work harder than she ever had before. Architecture had always come naturally to her, but it wasn't easy.

Still, Annabeth loved college in New Rome. She took a morning class three days a week in calculus, which was taught by a Roman demigod teacher who reminded her slightly of Chiron. He always believed that she could do better, which made her work harder. Annabeth had been in advanced geometry and trigonometry throughout high school, but it was nothing like this. The people here were the top of the top.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, she learned linear programming, which she enjoyed more. It had more to do with thinking, rather than figuring out numbers. Annabeth could always picture the gears in her mind spinning like crazy when she was doing the work for this class.

The best part, however, was Percy. Even with his own college work, he always put Annabeth first, shoving aside his books the moment she walked in the door to greet her with a grin and a peck on the cheek. In fact, Annabeth was becoming suspicious. Percy seemed almost too willing to go out and get a snack at the bakery, and while Annabeth brought work with her to complete while they were there, Percy never brought any. He _had_ to have homework to do.

"Percy, where's your homework?" she asked him one afternoon while they were sipping hot chocolate.

He made a face. "Back home," he said. "You're more important."

Annabeth snorted. "Thanks, Seaweed Brain, and I love you too. But you really can't just leave it sitting."

With that, Annabeth stood up and dragged Percy to his feet as well. He quickly downed the rest of his hot chocolate, spilling some down his chin. Annabeth laughed and wiped it away with a napkin. "Come on, let's go."

As it turned out, Percy didn't have as much homework as Annabeth had feared. He was in a subject he knew well and didn't need any help. Annabeth left him reading about fish and went to sit outside on the lawn, where she worked on finishing her own assignments.

Drawn in deeply to what she was doing, Annabeth didn't notice as it got dark outside. She was just figuring out why her graph was lopsided- it was a stupid mistake, she'd forgotten to factor in one of the variables- when she jumped at the feeling of arms wrapping around her from behind.

"You've been out here for a while," Percy said, resting his head on her shoulder. Annabeth leaned back into his chest.

"Did you do your homework?" she asked.

"Dyslexia started acting up." He frowned, then noticed Annabeth's expression and grinned. "Don't worry! I read most of it before I started getting distracted. Besides, there's not much I don't know about the ocean."

Annabeth nodded. She closed her eyes and rested for a moment before asking, "What were you getting distracted about?"

"I was wondering if we could go on a date."

Annabeth was surprised at the calm way Percy had brought it up. Usually his face turned the most adorable shade of red when he asked her out. She smiled. "Sure! Do you want to go to a restaurant somewhere here in New Rome?"

"I was actually thinking we could leave camp," he admitted. "It might be nice to get out for a bit."

Annabeth thought about it. She liked the idea. "Let's ask Reyna," she said. "I'm sure she'll let us."

Percy huffed. "Let us! We aren't kids."

Annabeth laughed. "It's the responsible thing to do to at least tell the owner of the camp that we're leaving," she chided him.

"You sound like my mom," Percy grumbled.

"That's not a bad thing," Annabeth said. "Your mom is one of the best people I know."

"Fine. Let's go ask Reyna."

Percy helped Annabeth to her feet. She ran to put her books inside, then grabbed Percy's hand as the two went off in search for Reyna.


End file.
